Splash Into Style With These 10 Sustainable Raincoats
Whether you're prepping for spring showers or autumn rainfalls, these sustainable raincoats will keep you dry and protected from nature's elements without harming the environment.
What Makes for a Sustainable Raincoat?
As always, we encourage you to look secondhand first! Browse your local thrift stores or check out our list of the top places to shop secondhand fashion online!
Sites like REI Good & Used and Patagonia's Worn Wear are great for outerwear built to withstand tough weather conditions.
For fashion-forward trench coats and rain jackets that may be more style than function, take a look at luxury consignment sites like The Real Real or Vestiare Collective.
Or for a mix of everything, ThredUp has rain jackets in a range of price points, styles, and sizes.
For new eco-friendly raincoats, here are some elements to be on the lookout for:
Materials. Most raincoats are made from virgin petroleum-derived synthetic fibers. Look for recycled materials like rPET or recycled nylon and organic natural fibers like waxed organic cotton and Tencel instead.
Circular Design. In addition to using recycled materials, a circular-minded brand should consider the durability of its pieces. A truly sustainable raincoat should be designed for durability and reuse.
Take Back and Resale Programs. Raincoats are difficult to recycle since most are made from a blend of materials and contain waterproof finishes. All the more reason to look for a brand that offers repairs (like Patagonia) and/or the opportunity to trade in your coat to be resold.
PFC-Free Water Repellents. PFCs (per- and polyfluorinated compounds) are commonly used in water repellent coatings on jackets. These chemicals, once released in our environment, persist and bioaccumulate and are linked to a number of harmful health impacts including potential carcinogenicity. Many larger outerwear brands have phased out or are working to phase out PFCs.
Not all brands will meet all of these criteria, but the above points are things to look for when browsing for your eco-friendly raincoats.
This guide contains affiliate links, which means we will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you choose to purchase through some of these links. This helps us continue to create these free resources for you! As always, we only feature brands we love (and that we think you'll love too!) and that meet CFC's strict sustainability criteria.
Baxter Wood
Baxter Wood is a Black-owned brand with sustainable raincoats and rainboots made from recycled materials. Each waterproof Trawler raincoat is crafted using rPET, made from 22 recycled plastic bottles. Priced at $150 with the option to send in an old raincoat or pair of rainboots for a $30 credit, Baxter Wood's eco-friendly raincoats are one of the most affordable choices available.
Our Pick: Navy Trawler Raincoat
Size Range: XXS - L Women's | XS-L Men's
Investment: $$
NAU
Combining natural fibers with performance properties, Nau created their own unique fabrics for their collections like waxed organic cotton. Nau's eco-friendly raincoats are made from organic cotton and a PFC-free durable water repellant. As with all of the brand's pieces, the raincoats are designed for long-lasting durability too.
Our Pick: Introvert Stylus Jacket
Size Range: XS-XL Women's | S-XL Men's
Investment: $$ - $$$
Toad & Co
Another eco outerwear brand worth checking out is Toad & Co. The brand uses a number of low-impact fabrics like hemp, Lenzing modal, and recycled fibers. While most jackets are made from petroleum-derived synthetic fabrics, Toad & Co uses fabrics like waxed organic cotton + Tencel or recycled nylon for their water-resistant rain jackets.
Our Pick: Mcway Barn Jacket
Size Range: XS-XL Women's | S-XXL Men's
Investment: $ - $$
ECOALF
Using almost exclusively recycled materials like recycled wool, recycled cotton, and recycled or low-impact fibers such as cupro, linen, and hemp. The brand is also B-Corp Certified and has set a goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2030 through improving efficiency, sourcing renewable energy, and designing with circularity and durability in mind. ECOALF is also committed to cleaning up plastic waste from our oceans through their Upcycling the Oceans initiative.
Our Pick: Raincoat Niagra
Size Range: XS-XXL Women's | XS-XXL Men's
Investment: €€€
Patagonia
Known for their vast collection of eco-friendly outerwear, Patagonia has no shortage of sustainable rainwear to select from. At the time of publishing, all of the B-Corporation Certified brand's rainwear contains recycled content and is Fair Trade Certified™ sewn. *NOTE: Patagonia’s raincoats do still contain PFCs. [To shop Patagonia's used raincoats, check out Worn Wear.]
Our Pick: Granite Crest Rain Jacket
Size Range: XS-XL Women's | XS-XXL Men's
Investment: $$ - $$$
Women's Rainwear | Men's Rainwear
On Good Authority
Ethical rainwear brand On Good Authority creates a seasonless rainjacket made from recycled nylon and Greenlon® Re yarn, an OEKO-TEX certified fiber made from recycled waste plastic. The brand will be launching a waterproof field jacket and waterproof parka made from 100% Repreve® recycled fibers as well. All of Our Good Authority's fabrics are PFC-free. The jackets are made in a factory ensuring worker rights that is audited by Business Social Compliance Initiative.
Our Pick: The Raincoat
Size Range: S-L
Investment: £££
Thought
Thought is a UK-based eco-friendly fashion brand with clothing, accessories, and outerwear made intentionally from mindful materials. Their signature mustard yellow raincoat is made from certified organic cotton with a waterproof coating and lined with 100% recycled polyester. As a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative, Thought is committed to sourcing from factories with high social standards as well.
Our Pick: Organic Cotton Kesha Raincoat
Size Range: 8-18 (UK)
Investment: £
MAIUM
Founded by two friends from Amsterdam — a city that sees rain for about a third of the year — MAIUM has designed a vegan sustainable raincoat that can truly withstand the elements. The coat even comes with a one year warranty. Every rain jacket is PFC-free and made from recycled materials that are both GRS and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified. Some of the jackets are also partially made from GOTS-certified organic cotton.
Our Picks: The Original in Blue Gray and The Trench in Iced Coffee
Size Range: XS-XL Women's | XS-L Men's
Investment: €€ - €€€
Women's Jackets | Men's Jackets
United By Blue
United By Blue is a B-Corp Certified fashion brand committed to proving "that fashion can be a force for good." The brand uses fabrics like recycled polyester for their outerwear and their rain shell is finished without PFCs. And, for every product sold, United By Blue removes a pound of trash from oceans and waterways.
Our Pick: Recycled Rain Shell in Oat
Size Range: XS-XL Women's | S-XL Men's
Investment: $$
LangerChen
LangerChen is a fair fashion brand founded by Philipp Langer and Miranda Chen that set out to establish a socially and environmentally responsible production facility in China. The company produces all of their pieces in their own GOTS-certified production facility near Shanghai. Committed to sustainable production, their eco-friendly rainwear is made from GOTS-certified organic cotton and recycled nylon with a PFC-free finish. The majority of their rainwear also features a Tencel® lining.
Our Pick: TBA; Spring 2021 collection coming soon!
Size Range: XS-XL Women's | S-XXL Men's
Investment: €€€
